In the
previous election, held on 23–26 May 2019, in terms of the political Groups in the Parliament, they resulted in the
EPP Group and
S&D suffering significant losses, while the liberal/centrist (
Renew), the
Greens/EFA and
ID made substantial gains, with
ECR and
The Left had small reduction. The
European People's Party, led by
Manfred Weber, won the most seats in the European Parliament, but was then unable to secure support from other parties for Weber as candidate for President of the Commission. After initial deadlock, the
European Council decided to nominate
Ursula von der Leyen as a compromise candidate to be the new Commission President, and the
European Parliament elected von der Leyen with 383 votes (374 votes needed). The
commission as a whole was then approved by the European Parliament on 27 November 2019, receiving 461 votes.
The
2019 election saw an increase in the turnout, when 50.7% of eligible voters had cast a vote compared with 42.5% of the
2014 election. This was the first time that turnout had increased since the first European Parliament election in
1979.[4]
In 2024, the Eurobarometer data shows that 71% of Europeans say they are likely to vote in June, 10% higher than those who said they would in 2019.[5]
Since the last European-wide election, the right has continued to rise across Europe, remaining however split, mainly by the
Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russian relations issue.[6] In 2024,
right-wing populist parties hold or share political power in Hungary (
Fidesz), Italy (
Brothers of Italy), Sweden (
Sweden Democrats), Finland (
Finns Party), Slovakia (
Slovak National Party), Croatia (
Homeland Movement) and the Netherlands (
Party for Freedom).[6] The centre-right
EPP has "raised eyebrows" among some commentators for its efforts to charm parties in the
ECR to create a broad conservative block,[7] which could upset the long-standing status-quo that has seen the EPP share power with the centre-left
S&D and the centrist
Renew Group.[8]
Electoral system
Elections to the European Parliament are regulated by the
Treaty on European Union,
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and the Act concerning the election of the members of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage (the Electoral Act). The Electoral Act states that the electoral procedure is governed by the national provisions in each member state, subject to the provisions of the act.[9] Elections are conducted by direct universal suffrage by
proportional representation using either a
list system or
single transferable vote.[10] The national electoral threshold may not exceed 5% of votes cast.[11]
Attempts at electoral reform
In June 2018, the
Council agreed to change the EU electoral law and to reform old laws from the 1976 Electoral Act as amended in 2002.[12] New provisions included a mandatory 2% threshold for countries with more than 35 seats and rules to prevent voters from voting in multiple countries.[13] After the Act was adopted by the Council following consent given by the European Parliament in July 2018, not all member states ratified the Act prior to the 2019 elections, which took place under the old rules. As of 2023, the reform has yet to be ratified by
Cyprus and
Spain;[14]Germany only ratified in summer 2023.[15]
On 3 May 2022, the European Parliament voted to propose a new electoral law, which would contain provisions for electing 28 seats on transnational lists.[16] As of 2024, this reform has not been approved by the Council, which must approve it unanimously,[17] meaning the election will be conducted under the 1976 Electoral Act as amended in 2002.
Apportionment
As a result of
Brexit, 27 seats from the British delegation were distributed to other countries in January 2020 (those elected in 2019, but not yet seated took their seats).[18] The other 46 seats were abolished with the total number of MEPs decreasing from 751 to 705.[19]
A report in the European Parliament proposed in February 2023 to modify the
apportionment in the European Parliament and increase the number of MEPs from 705 to 716 in order to adapt to the development of the population and preserve
degressive proportionality.[20][21] It was passed in the plenary in June 2023.[21] On 26 July 2023, the
Council reached a preliminary agreement, which would increase the size of the European Parliament to 720 seats.[22] On 13 September 2023, the European Parliament consented to this decision,[23] which was adopted by the European Council on 22 September 2023.[24]
In the run-up to the
2014 European Parliament elections a new informal system was unveiled for the selection of the
European Commission President (known colloquially as the
Spitzenkandidat system) dictating that whichever party group gained the most seats (or the one able to secure the support of a majority coalition) would see their candidate become President of the Commission.[63] In 2014, the candidate of the largest group,
Jean-Claude Juncker, was eventually nominated and elected as Commission President.[64]European party leaders aimed to reintroduce the system in 2019, with them selecting lead candidates and organizing a televised debate between those candidates.[65] In the aftermath of the election
German Defense MinisterUrsula von der Leyen was chosen as Commission President, even though she had not been a candidate prior to the election, while Manfred Weber, lead candidate for the EPP, which had gained the most seats, was not nominated as he was unable to secure support from any other party.[66] Following this appointment of a Commission President who had not been a Spitzenkandidat, some called for the system to be abandonded, while others called for it to be revived in the 2024 elections.[67][68][69]
In 2023, multiple political parties at the European level announced their intentions to nominate a main candidate.[70][71][72][73]ECR[74][75] and
ID have rejected doing so.[76]
Overview of party candidates for Commission President in 2024
The centre-right
EPP held its congress in Bucharest on 6–7 March 2024 to elect its presidential candidate and adopt its election programme.[79] Nominees required the backing of their own member party and not more than two other EPP member parties from EU countries, with nominations closing on February 21.[80]
On 19 February 2024,
Ursula von der Leyen announced her intention to run, supported by the
CDU.[81] On 7 March von der Leyen was elected presidential candidate with 400 votes in favour, 89 against and 10 blank, out of the 737 EPP delegates at the EPP congress.[82] Among others, it is believed that the French and Slovenian delegations voted against.[83][84]
Party of European Socialists
The centre-left
PES held its congress in Rome on 2 March. Nominees required the backing of nine PES full member parties or organisations, with nominations closing on 17 January.[85]
On 18 January, the PES announced that the Luxembourgish
European Commissioner for Jobs and Social RightsNicolas Schmit was the sole nominee to meet the nominating requirements.[86] He was then nominated on 2 March during the party congress, along with the adoption of the election programme.[87]
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
The
ALDE party held its extraordinary congress in Brussels on 20–21 March 2024.[88] On 7 March 2024, following months of speculation, Estonian Prime Minister
Kaja Kallas announced that she had rejected the offer from ALDE to be the party's Spitzenkandidat.[89] Luxembourg’s former Prime Minister
Xavier Bettel announced that he is not interested in the post either.[90]
On 11 March, the German
FDP nominated
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann to become presidential candidate.[91] She was then elected on March 20 during the party congress, along with the adoption of the election programme.[92][93]
In October 2023, the congress of the
European Free Alliance elected Maylis Roßberg and
Raül Romeva as its presidential candidates, and adopted its election programme.[100][101]
Party of the European Left
During the 24–25 February 2024 congress in Ljubljana,[102] the
PEL elected
Walter Baier as its presidential candidate and adopted its election programme.[103]
On 27 November 2023,
Volt Europa adopted its European election programme at its General Assembly in Paris.[106] During the 6–7 April 2024 campaign launch event in Brussels the party elected German MEP
Damian Boeselager and Dutch MEP
Sophie in 't Veld as its lead candidates.[107] Regarding which European Parliament group to join after the elections, Boeselager said he was “open to discussions” between remaining in
Greens/EFA or joining
Renew Europe in due course.[108] To emphasise its demand for transnational lists,
Volt Europa also presented a symbolic transnational list for the election alongside its leading candidates.[109]
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (May 2024)
Immigration
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (May 2024)
Immigration was cited by Politico as a key issue in elections in several countries, including Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland and Sweden.[110]
This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (May 2024)
The future of Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen, the current European Commission President, did not formally announce her intention to stand for a second term until February 2024. This led to speculation about other potential EPP candidates, such as
President of the European ParliamentRoberta Metsola. However, on 19 February 2024, von der Leyen announced her intention to seek a second term.[81] and on 7 March she was elected European People's Party presidential candidate with 400 votes in favour, 89 against and 10 blank, out of the 737 EPP congressional delegates.[82]
In Germany, the
coalition government had also agreed to support the spitzenkandidat system,[111] implicitly accepting the prospect of von der Leyen, who within Germany hails from the opposition
CDU party, becoming Commission President again, depending on the election results. Otherwise, the
German government coalition agreement grants the right to nominate the next German EU Commissioner to the
Greens, provided the Commission President is not from Germany.[112]
The future of Charles Michel
In January 2024,
Charles Michel announced he would step down early as
president of the European Council to run for the
European Parliament instead.[113] This would have meant that European Union leaders would potentially discuss his successor in the summer[114] as, if elected to the European Parliament, he would have had to step down because of prohibition of the
dual mandate.[115] His mandate had been to set to expire in November 2024.[116] For this unanticipated decision Michel was criticised by EU officials and diplomats.[117] He was criticised by his political ally
Sophie in 't Veld who questioned his "credibility".[118] This timing was further criticised for potential disruptions it could cause, as Article 2(4) of the European Council's Rules of Procedure provide that, if its President leaves office early, he "shall be replaced, where necessary until the election of his or her successor, by the member of the European Council representing the Member State holding the six-monthly Presidency of the Council".[119] This would have been the Hungarian Prime Minister
Viktor Orban, whose country would be scheduled to take over the rotating presidency of the
European Council on 1 July.[120] On 26 January 2024, Michel withdrew his candidacy and thus delayed his departure.[121]
Future of Identity and Democracy
Ahead of the 2024 European Parliament election,
National Rally spokespeople
Jordan Bardella and
Caroline Parmentier announced they would part ways with
Alternative for Germany after the election and not include the AfD in the
ID group due to controversial statements on Nazi Germany made by AfD lead candidate
Maximilian Krah in an interview and allegations of Chinese espionage influence on the party.[122][123] Italy's
Lega and the Czech
SPD backed the position taken by the National Rally,[124][125] but
Vlaams Belang declined to support expulsion of the AfD from the ID group or rule out further cooperation with the AfD, while criticising Krah's remarks.[126] The
Danish People's Party conditioned future cooperation with the AfD on Krah's exclusion from the ID group.[127] The AfD was expelled from the group on 23 May.[128]
European Parliament groups
After the European elections, there are often changes or creation of new
political groups by the national parties in the
European Parliament.[129] This concerns both the new parties that have not yet announced which group they will be part of, and the parties already present in the European Parliament who choose to change group at the beginning of a new legislature.[129] According to the Parliament’s rules of procedure, a political group requires at least 23 MEPs from at least one-quarter of the
Member States (7 out of 27), and a political declaration, setting out the purpose of the group.[130]
The first debate was held on Monday, 29 April 2024 from 19:00 to 20:30 CET at the Theater aan het Vrijthof in Maastricht, Netherlands.[138] It was hosted by Studio Europa Maastricht and Politico Europe and was
EBU’s Eurovision News Exchange distributed the feed to its public service media network of members.[138] An initiative of
Maastricht University, it was the third edition of the so-called "Maastrich Debate" [138][142] All ten registered
European Political parties were invited to the debate.[138]
The debate questions focused on three main themes:
climate change, foreign and security policy, and EU democracy.[138] During the debate,
Ursula von der Leyen indicated she would be open to a deal with the
European Conservatives and Reformists group after the election saying that the collaboration “depends very much on how the composition of the Parliament is, and who is in what group”.[143]
21 May (Brussels, Belgium)
The second debate was held on Tuesday, 21 May 2024 from 17:00 to 18:15 in Brussels, Belgium.[139] It was hosted by the think tank Bruegel and the Financial Times. The debate questions focused on economic policy in the EU.[144][145]
23 May (Brussels, Belgium)
Eurovision Debate 2024 with Lead Candidates
The third debate was held on Thursday, 23 May 2024 from 15:00 to 17:00 CET at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.[146][147] It was hosted by the European Broadcasting Union together with the European Parliament and it was broadcast on public service media channels and online platforms members.[146] The debate take place in English, with interpretation into all 24 official EU languages and International Sign Language. It was the third edition of the so-called "
Eurovision Debate".
Invitations to the debate were sent by the EBU to the ten recognised
European Political parties, with only one lead candidate allowed to be nominated from each of the seven
Political groups of the European Parliament.[146] On 7 May, EBU announced the candidates for the debate. Two parties, the ECR and ID, were considered by EBU not eligible to take part in the debate, since they have not nominated lead candidates for the Presidency of the European Commission and.[148][149]
The debate questions focused on six main topics: Economy and Jobs, Defence and Security, Climate and Environment, Democracy and Leadership, Migration and Borders, Innovation and Technology.[150]
Voting advice applications
Several
voting advice applications at the European level have been developed to help voters choose their candidates. Some of this applications could collect user data for research or commercial purpose.
EUROMAT allows users to compare their positions on 20 statements with the answers given by the
European political parties.[151] The result is presented as a percentage of agreement with each party. The EUROMAT was created as a joint project of the NGOs
Pulse of Europe and Polis 180 and the blog Der (europäische) Föderalist and is available in eight languages.[152][153]
Votematch.eu is a comprehensive collection of VAAs, with a unique application tailored for each member state.[154] Due to the variation in political parties across countries, Votematch.eu provides a specific application for each nation. This application first matches users with political parties within their own country. After this initial matching, users can compare their results with those in other member states. The overall platform was developed by German
bpb and Dutch ProDemos.
VoteTracker.eu website allows users to visualise the votes of MEPs of the 2019–2024 legislature on 18 selected votes, and to find the MEPs who best match their convictions.[155]
EuroMPmatch is a collaborative project between EUmatrix and the
European University Institute aimed at enhancing citizen engagement in EU policy-making. By analyzing MEPs' actual voting records on 20 key topics, the project offers citizens a quiz to determine alignment with MEPs, parties, and political groups.[156][157]
EU&I, developed by the European University Institute in Florence, offers 30 questions to which the user can answer from ‘completely agree’ to ‘completely disagree’.[158] They can then give more weight to certain questions. The result is presented as a percentage of agreement with each national party. The site has been translated into 20 languages.[159]
Adeno is an application that allows users to discover the European group that best matches their convictions through 100 questions (20 in the express mode) covering 10 themes. The application also offers a multiplayer mode. It is available on Android[160] and iPhone.[161]
Palumba is an application, developed by an association of young professionals, offers 27 questions to be answered ‘for’, ‘against’ or ‘neutral’.[162] Explanations are provided for each question. The application provides the result in the form of a percentage of agreement for each European group and displays the closest national parties. The application is available on Android and iPhone and is available in over 30 languages (including regional dialects)[163]
Europe Elects, Der Föderalist and Politico Europe have been presenting seat projections throughout the legislative period. Other institutes started presenting data during the election campaign. All projections make their national-level data transparent, except Politico Europe, which only presents aggregate EU-level data.
Europe Elects has been presenting popular vote projections throughout the legislative period. Other institutes started presenting data during the election campaign.
The dates chosen for the elections conflict with a long weekend in Portugal, where
Portugal Day, a national holiday, is celebrated on 10 June, which is expected to suppress turnout.[181] Despite an attempt by Portuguese leaders to find a compromise, no change was made to the default date of 6–9 June,[182] which required unanimity to be changed.
The ongoing
Qatargate corruption scandal, which began in December 2022, has destabilized the European Parliament following the arrest of several MEPs including
Marc Tarabella;
Andrea Cozzolino and
Eva Kaili who was stripped of her vice presidency. Other suspects in the case include
Francesco Giorgi, the parliamentary assistant of MEP Andrea Cozzolino, Pier
Antonio Panzeri, founder of the Fight Impunity NGO; Niccolo Figa-Talamanca, head of the No Peace Without Justice NGO; and
Luca Visentini, head of the International Trade Union Confederation.[183][184]
Following the scandal, the European Parliament revised its rules of procedure and its code of conduct in September 2023[185] placing six main obligations on MEPs:[186]
Detailed declaration of private interests, including those from the 3 years prior to their election
When external income exceeds €5,000, all the entities from which their income is received must be listed
All conflicts of interest must be resolved or declared
Not engaging in paid lobbying activities linked directly to the EU’s decision-making process
Meetings with interested parties can only be with people who sign up to the EU's Transparency Register[187] and MEPs must make a disclosure of such meetings and also of meetings held with representatives of third country diplomats
Make a declaration of all assets and liabilities at the beginning, and again at the end, of every term of office
On 27 March, the Czech Republic sanctioned the news site Voice of Europe, claiming that the site is part of a network for pro-Russian influence.[191] The following day, Belgian Prime Minister
De Croo, referring to the sanctions during a debate in the Belgian parliament, said that Russia had targeted MEPs, but also paid them.[192] On 2 April, the Czech news portal Denik N reported, citing several ministers, that there are audio recordings of the German
far-right politician
Petr Bystron (MP,
AfD) that incriminate him of having accepted money.[193] On 12 April, it became known that the Belgian public prosecutor's office is investigating whether European politicians were paid to spread Russian propaganda. In addition to Bystron, the investigation is also targeting Dutch MEP
Marcel de Graaff (FvD) and German MEP
Maximilian Krah (AfD). Ukrainian politician and businessman
Viktor Medvedchuk, who is close to Russian President
Vladimir Putin, is believed to be the man behind Voice of Europe.[194]
^
abcdAnders Vistisen was selected to participate on behalf of the party in pre-election debates, but he is not a lead candidate.[77][78]
^This is the legal threshold. The share of the vote needed to win a seat may be higher than this in some countries.
^This is the maximum vote share necessary to mathematically guarantee winning a seat. It is here calculated as the
Droop quota for each country. Where the legal threshold exceeds this threshold, the legal threshold is shown instead.
^Denmark allows for electoral alliances between separate party lists.
^Online voting in Estonia began on 3 June and ran until 8 June.
^Seats are apportioned to parties nationally. A party can choose to only stand in some of the 16
states and have its national seat count be subapportioned to those states. Only the CDU and the CSU have done this in previous elections.
^Depends on the constituency: 20% in
Dublin, ~16.7% in
Midlands–North-West and
South. As
Single transferable vote is a party-blind voting system, this threshold applies for an individual candidate, not for the party as a whole.
^
abSeats are apportioned to parties nationally, then subapportioned to the constituencies.
^As
Single transferable vote is a party-blind voting system, this threshold applies for an individual candidate, not for the party as a whole.
^Mackenzie, Lucia; Coi, Giovanna (17 April 2024).
"How to win the European election". Politico Europe.
Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
^
abOelbermann, Kai Friederike; Pukelsheim, Friedrich (July 2020).
"The European Elections of May 2019"(PDF). europarl.europa.eu. p. 14.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
^"Austria - How to vote". European elections 2024: all you need to know.
Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
^"Belgium - How to vote". European elections 2024: all you need to know.
Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
^Af /ritzau (5 October 2023).
"EU-valg: Her er datoen". ekstrabladet.dk (in Danish).
Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.